1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates generally to a musical drum, and more particularly to an apparatus which reinforces and prevents deformation of the drum body when the drumhead is tightened excessively.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There are several patents which disclose various accessories for musical drums which are in the nature of reinforcements. Pertinent prior art references include Somerville U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,933; Shier U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,056; Bonsor U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,146; and Hsieh U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,565.
Somerville U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,933 discloses an adjustable pressure ring for drums, which included several elements located inside the drum connected to external means for adjustment The disadvantage of such a device would be the distortion produced in the percussional tone. The present invention utilizes a single internal element, thus minimizing any effect on the percussional tone of the drum.
Shier U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,056 discloses a percussion kit comprising a collapsible drum, the drum having flexible side walls formed of a pair of generally parallel walls, the walls being adapted to be inflated to hold the drum in erected condition and deflated to allow the drum to collapse for transportation and storage. Such a device would have the obvious disadvantage of the wear and tear resulting from frequently inflating and deflating the flexible walls. The present invention utilizes a single internal element which is placed in one position, thus eliminating wear and tear due to moving or flexible parts.
Bonsor U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,146 discloses a musical drum having an outer cage to which both top and bottom counterhoops are connected in an independently adjustable manner. An intermediate hoop is provided between the top and bottom counterhoops to which a plurality of adjusting bolt assemblies for the top and bottom counterhoops are connected. Obviously, such a device has the disadvantage of requiring each and every bolt assembly to be adjusted independently, thereby requiring the drum to be "tuned" before playing. The present invention utilizes a single internal element requiring only one adjustment, if any, before playing begins.
Hsieh U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,565 discloses a musical drum with a pressure buffer element. The disadvantage of such a device is obvious in that the buffer element is integral to the drum and thereby located in a fixed position. The present invention utilizes an internal element the position of which can be adjusted as required to obtain the desired percussional tone of the drum.
With a standard drum, a particular percussional tone is derived by maintaining a certain tension in the drumhead. This tension is achieved when the drumhead is stretched over the upper brim of the drum body and clamped under a rim. Clamping screws pass through the rim and screw into threaded receptacles mounted on the side of the drum body. When the clamping screws are tightened, the rim clamps the drumhead down, stretching it across the drum body. However, if the drumhead is tightened excessively, the drum shell is squeezed inwardly and becomes slightly conical, thereby misaligning the bearing edge affecting the tension maintained across the drumhead and causing undesirable change in the percussional tone; when the drumhead is played, it produces unwanted and uncontrollable sound.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular, by an apparatus which is disclosed for use in a musical drum that is a stiffening ring which is placed inside the shell of the drum at the edge adjacent to the drum head, and can be adjusted by a screw to provide internal tension in the drum shell to prevent its being squeezed inwardly when the drum head is tightened. The stiffening ring additionally forms the open head, the bearing edge, of a wooden drum into a truer round, i.e. cylindrical, shape. This provides more accurate and precise tuning.